The small format stores are located in Warren, at 30780 Schoenherr Road, and Roseville, at 31902 Gratiot Ave. The locations were selected because they are surrounded by more than 100,000 residential rooftops.

These dense Detroit suburbs have large, diverse communities with a mix of income ranges, said Alan Hartline, Spartan Stores executive vice president for merchandising and marketing, one of the executives who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the stores on Monday, Dec. 10.

"These stores are ideal for today’s consumer who is seeking convenience, freshness and quality at a value price," said Hartline. "With the economy as it is, Valu Land is responding to a heightened need for value that shoppers can depend on every day. Convenience is a key factor in terms of finding quality staple items at low prices in an organized store, saving time searching for deals and efficiently navigating the store.”

The Byron Township grocer expects to open six to eight more of the small discount stores in 2013 in Metro Detroit. The first of those planned stores could open as soon as February, Hartline said.

But Spartan is being careful not to select locations that might compete with the grocer's existing wholesale customers. Together, those independent grocers have the largest market share of the city of Detroit when it comes to traditional grocery stores.

Hartline said Spartan was "greeted with open arms" in both Warren and Roseville. The company spent about $1 million in each location renovating an empty storefront and adding 35 new jobs.

Spartan also has Valu Land locations in Lansing, Leslie, Marion and Clare.

The new Detroit area stores also represent a new look, with white and red signage and a logo of a shopping cart replacing a blue and yellow look.

The 20,000-square-foot stores are about half the size of Spartan's traditional grocery stores which are operated under the banners of Family Fare, D&W Fresh Market, VG's Supermarket and Glen's Market. The limited-assortment stores are designed to compete with Aldi and Sav A Lot by offering a greater selection of national products and more produce than those two retail chains.